Developed by trailblazers Graham Gaylor and Jesse Joudrey, VRChat is a global virtual space unifying users through dynamic interaction, underpinned by the versatile Unity engine.
VRChat’s Diverse Features
User-created 3D avatars and worlds that foster an enviable level of creativity.
Tangible interaction realization through features such as lip sync, eye tracking, and motion mimicking.
The integration of the visual programming language Udon in 2020, which has spurred limitless possibilities.
No device is left behind: compatibility with Android, touchscreen devices, desktop mode with mouse, keyboard, and gamepad support.
Engagement
Safety
The unity of players, popular among YouTubers and Twitch streamers alike.
A trust level system, contributing to user safety and confidence.
The incorporated anti-cheat system, EAC, added in July 2022, safeguarding the play environment
Introduction of VRChat Plus, a premium membership service, further enhancing user experience.
Unavoidable Limitations of VRChat
Access to adult-themed content for minors has sparked some controversy.
Momentous popularity led to review bombing following anti-cheat announcement.
VRChat Pricing
Immerse in VRChat’s rich world for free while the adventure gets enhanced with VRChat Plus, their premium membership service, for an added price.
VRChat Use Cases
Virtual Performances
From classes to dance events and live music, VRChat presents a vibrant platform for dynamic virtual performances.
Online Communities
Engage with worldwide users in unique communities, creating newspapers, talk shows, podcasts, and more in the virtual realm.
Music and Dance
For music enthusiasts and dancers, VRChat hosts encapsulating dance music events, fostering a diverse music-oriented community.
AltspaceVR
Acquired by Microsoft in 2017, AltspaceVR has been a seminal force in driving VR experiences towards the domain of social connectivity. Originating as an innovative platform for free virtual spaces, its versatile nature doesn’t necessitate the use of a VR headset, making it an entry point into the realm of VR for many users.
AltspaceVR Top Features
Intuitive Controls: VR enables advanced hand and head tracking, yielding a control system that provides an interactive experience superior to the desktop interface.
Advanced Avatar Customization: Offers users the power to personalize their digital identities.
Augmented Reality Access: Integrated with Microsoft Mesh, enabling the hosting of VR avatars in holographic or physical digital spaces.
Feature
Description
Event Creation
User-driven event creation, replete with templates for newcomers.
Integration
Interoperable with Minecraft, Xbox Live or Office 365, extending reach within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Social Facets
Extensive range of social activities, from live comedy shows to workshops and religious studies.
AltspaceVR Limitations
Funding Issues: Despite high expectations, closure was announced in 2023 due to funding constraints.
User Interface: The simple control system, while facilitating easy navigation, is less robust than those of certain competitors.
AltspaceVR Pricing
AltspaceVR doesn’t demand any in-app payments, making it a favorable free option for users delving into VR.
AltspaceVR Use Cases
Use case 1: Social Interaction
AltspaceVR provides a platform for unhampered social exchange, allowing users to immerse themselves in vibrant community activities such as live comedy shows, workshops, and social events.
Use case 2: Professional Collaboration
With seamless integration into the Microsoft ecosystem, including Microsoft Mesh, AltspaceVR works perfectly for business collaborations involving shared VR environments.
Use case 3: Private Engagements
The flexibility of AltspaceVR offers room for exclusive interactions, enabling users to create private rooms for more personalized exchanges with their near ones.
Defold
A brainchild of former Avalanche Studios employees, Defold is an open-source, cost-free game engine known for its ease of use and versatility. Its creators, Christian Murray and Ragnar Svensson, designed it for game development on console, desktop, mobile, and the web.
Defold Top Features
Open Source: Defold’s source code is available on GitHub, offering developers the freedom to innovate.
No Fees: There are no upfront costs, licensing fees, or royalties, making it highly accessible.
Editor Flexibility: The editor is functional across Windows, Linux, and macOS, increasing developer comfort.
Comprehensive Tools: Inclusions of code editor, debugger, profiler, scene and UI editors aid in a smooth development process.
Language Compatibility: Game logic can be composed in Lua with the facility to use native code for expanded functionality.
Strong Community: Known for its technical documentation and friendly community, Defold encourages collaborative advancement.
Versatile Applications
Used for games, simulators, and apps development.
Cross-Platform Building
Build any project across different platforms without needing any SDKs.
Updated and Managed
Bi-weekly releases, and day-to-day operations managed by Refold AB.
Defold Limitations
Learning Curve: Requires a solid understanding of Defold and Native-Extensions for efficient usage.
Resource Intensive: Defold’s multifaceted nature might require flexible development capabilities.
Scale of Development: The development is somewhat limited due to the small size of the development team.
Defold Pricing
One of Defold’s most remarkable features is its price tag – it is entirely free. There are no hidden charges, either in the form of upfront costs, licensing fees, or royalties.
Defold Use Cases
Use case 1 – Commercial Games Development
Given its robust toolset, Defold has been proven effective in creating hit commercial games.
Use case 2 – Educational Settings
Defold’s user-friendly interface and rich technical documentation have made it a favourite in schools for teaching game development.
Use Case 3 – Game Jams
Its quick and simple editor, combined with the option for install-free development, makes Defold an excellent choice for Game Jams, where the essence is to create games quickly.
Stride
Meet Stride, a game-changing free, open-source, 2D and 3D cross-platform game engine. Born out of Silicon Studio, this daemon of the digital domain was traditionally known as Xenko and gained widespread acclaim for creating astounding video games for PC, mobile devices, and even literally out-of-this-world virtual reality experiences.
Stride’s Outstanding Features
C# suite tools built for efficiency and easy usage.
A customizable shader system that allows for intricate and unique visual effects.
Utilize the Game Studio – an integrated environment for asset import, scene creation, game building and running.
Which leads us to incredible in-built assets, such as Physically-Based Rendering (PBR) layered material editor, scene streaming system, sprite editor, and UI engine, to mention just a few.
Runtime Support
Applications
Cross-platform support for iOS, Android, Windows UWP, Linux, PlayStation 4
3D Rendering engine for vvvv gamma.
Stride v4.0 Release
The stride trail blazed forward with a name change in 2020 and a 4.0 release in 2021 for developers more aligned with .NET Foundation association.
Stride’s Limitations
Understanding Stride’s Entity component system may require some getting used to for newcomers.
Lack of support from originally developing company, Silicon Studio after it’s v3.0 launch.
The previous commercial proprietary license could be prohibitive for some before Stride was licensed under the MIT License.
Stride Pricing
Stride is a boon for innovators on a budget, as it’s a free, open-source platform relishing the spirit of collaborative community development.
Stride Use Cases
Use case 1: Indie game developers
With its handy suite of tools and cross-platform compatibility, Stride is a go-to choice for indie game developers pouring their passion into crafting compelling experiences for gamers across platforms.
Use case 2: VR Enthusiasts
Stride’s built-in VR capabilities make it a viable option for those looking to function on the frontier of virtual reality, bringing their immersive experiences to life.
Use case 3: Educational Institutions
Educational institutions looking to inspire the next generation of game developers find Stride’s free and open-source nature, coupled with its powerful tools, an excellent teaching resource.
Blender
An open-source 3D graphics toolset, Blender takes pride in its versatility, being used for a diverse range of applications from animated films and visual effects, to motion graphics and virtual reality. This digital creative powerhouse was birthed by the Dutch animation studio NeoGeo dating back to January 2, 1994.
Blender Top Features
3D Modelling: Ability to create complex and detail-oriented three-dimensional model.
UV mapping and texturing: Texturing capabilities adept at handling complexities of intricate 3D mapping.
Digital Drawing: Extensive suite for graphic designing and artwork creation.
Video editing and compositing: Full-featured video editing solution boasting comprehensive tools.
Eevee renderer: State-of-the-art renderer that beautifully showcases your creative outlook.
Feature
Explanation
Fluid and Smoke Simulation
Adding a touch of realism to your model by simulating natural elements like fluid and smoke.
Rigging and Skinning
Provision of a kinematic chain (or skeleton) to the 3D model to bring it to life.
Support for Various File Formats
Extensive compatibility with 3D file formats like FBX and OBJ for import/export.
Open-source
Anyone can access, use, and contribute to Blender’s source code at any point of time.
Blender Disadvantages
The Blender Game Engine was depreciated in the 2.8 release, limiting its application as a viable game development tool.
Blender, despite its rich feature set, is intensely complex and can be daunting to newcomers.
Blender Pricing
Given its robustness, it’s thrilling to know that Blender is a free and open-source tool. This empowers creatives regardless of their financial constraints, fostering a diversity of ideas and inventions in the digital realm.
Blender Use Cases
Use case 1: Animated Films
Blender’s feature-rich 3D animation and modeling capabilities make it the ideal tool for creating intricate and lifelike animated films.
Use case 2: Visual Effects
From fluid simulations to particle effects, Blender is a go-to tool for content creators seeking versatility and control in creating stunning visual effects.
Use case 3: Interactive 3D applications
With its extensive support for 3D file formats and rigging tools, Blender empowers developers in the creation of interactive 3D applications.
ChilloutVR
Meet ChilloutVR, a community-driven, interactive sandbox game for both VR and Desktop experiences. Offering a flexible VR platform where users can design their avatars and create their worlds, ChilloutVR is setting new standards in the digital arena.
ChilloutVR Top Features
Interactive sandbox game accessible via VR and Desktop
Customizable avatars with design flexibility for unique virtual entities
Robust social features like adding friends, forming parties, and attending events
Advanced game modularity facilitating the creation of interactive objects
Incisive community management tools for streamlined player management
Melon Assistant, a dedicated PC mod installer
Use of Unity Editor for wide-ranging content creation and game modes scripting
Strong security measures against abusive modifications, caching or ripping
Feature
Benefit
Community Guidelines
A harassment-free, discrimination-less social gaming platform
ABI Quarterly Updates
Stay informed about progress, future plans, and overview
Melon Loader
Facilitate in-game modding for enhanced gaming experience
ChilloutVR Limitations
Gamers under 13 years of age are not allowed to participate
Respecting final moderation decisions in the event of complaints
No hate speech or modification of game codes is permitted
ChilloutVR Use Cases
Use Case: Social Networking in VR
ChilloutVR is an excellent platform if you’re looking to socialize with friends or meet new people in a virtual setting. The customizable avatars and community-driven atmosphere cultivate engaging interactions.
Use Case: Virtual Content Creation
If you are a developer or an aspiring creator, ChilloutVR’s in-game modularity and Unity Editor offer unparalleled opportunities for content creation, from interactive objects to complete game modes.
Use Case: Gaming Community Management
ChilloutVR is also beneficial for those looking to manage gaming communities. With effective management tools and stringent community guidelines, it ensures a healthy gaming environment.
Metaverse
The Metaverse, a concept dating back to 1938, hinted at an immersive 3D Internet experience. The buzz resurfaced when Facebook announced its rebranding to Meta, pledging a substantial investment in the Metaverse.
Metaverse Top Features
Immersive Reality: With roots in VR concepts, the Metaverse blends AR and VR elements to build an engaging environment.
Blockchain Integration: With the scope of incorporating NFTs and Blockchain, Metaverse promises streamlined commerce and interoperable systems.
Cultural Impact: Pioneering in the cultural sphere, Epic Games’ Fortnite hosted innovative virtual concerts—indicative of the Metaverse’s future.
Feature
Description
Diverse Purpose:
Metaverse’s potential extends beyond entertainment, with industrial applications being explored by major firms like Siemens and Nvidia.
Historical Lineage:
The concept draws on decades of innovative work, from Lanier’s VR gear in 1984 to novel blockchain applications such as Ethereum and Bitcoin.
Haptic Technology:
Recent advancements in haptic technology represent a significant milestone in the evolution of the Metaverse.
Metaverse Downsides
Market Volatility: The concept’s introduction has seen mixed market responses, underlining potential financial risks.
Technological Hurdles: With ambitious plans to reproduce all five senses virtually, the Metaverse faces significant technological challenges.
Metaverse Use Cases
Use case: Virtual Retail
Metaverse’s potential for retail is being explored by companies like Nike and Walmart, offering new ways to engage customers and transform the shopping experience.
Use case: Entertainment
The gaming industry is a clear prospect for the Metaverse. After Fortnite’s successful virtual concert, companies like Roblox have entered the space, providing platforms for massively multiplayer games.
Use case: Business Collaboration
Metaverse technologies can revolutionize virtual collaboration. With tools like Microsoft Mesh, businesses can foster efficient remote interactions and improve team productivity.
Rec Room
Welcome to the Rec Room, a fun-filled digital playground developed by Rec Room Inc. that fuses gaming, social interaction, and creativity into an unforgettable VR experience!
Rec Room’s Stellar Features
Game Creation: Utilize the integrated game creation system. Design your very own world and games using Rec Room’s visual programming language, Circuits, and the Marker Pen. Make the rules!
Multimedia: Delight in first-person shooters, battle royale games, cooperative action-adventure games, role-playing quests, and sports games, all under Rec Room Originals. Elevate your gaming experience with immersive music by Cameron Brown.
VR Motion Capture: Get drawn into a virtual reality experience where your every move counts. Full 3D motion via the VR headset’s motion capture system coupled with a teleportation feature to prevent VR sickness… Way to put reality in virtual reality!
Social Media Connectivity
Share your fun moments with the world on Rec Room’s built-in social media, rec.net. Keep your followers updated!
User Interaction
Engage in singleplayer or multiplayer mode; the choice is yours. The more, the merrier with players from all corners of the globe!
Avatar Customization
Personalize your virtual self to display your creativity and individuality. The only limit is your imagination!
The Other Side of Rec Room
Harassment and Trolling: While Rec Room opens up an exciting realm of experiences, it has faced complaints about its moderation system, leading to challenges with trolling and bullying.
Explicit Content: Considering it’s rated 12 and up, exposure to explicit materials may occur depending upon which servers and rooms accessed. A point of concern for safety and age-appropriate content for younger users.
Rec Room Pricing
Good news, everyone! Rec Room is free to download from platforms like the App Store, Google Play, Steam, and Meta. For those looking to boost their experience, there is a monthly subscription, Rec Room Plus, which allows for selling user-generated content for tokens, and in-app purchases are also available.
Rec Room Use Cases
Virtual Learning
The integration of VR and game creation opens up possibilities for educators to transform their classrooms into engaging, immersive learning spaces virtually. It’s learning without limits!
Social Platform
Want to connect, play, and share with friends and strangers alike in a dynamic online space? Rec Room is the key, putting a social twist to virtual reality gaming!
Creative Outlet
If you’re a hobbyist or aspiring game designer, Rec Room’s freedom to create and share your gaming world gives you a platform to build, test, and showcase your creations.
Second Life
Conceived by Linden Lab, Second Life is a 3D virtual world that offers a shared experience, propelled by user-generated content. With an active user count in the tens of thousands, it sparks interaction in real-time and fosters an economy in the form of Linden dollars.
Top Features of Second Life
User-Generated Content: Facilitating creative interaction by allowing users to generate, buy, and sell goods and services.
Functional Personalization: Bolsters user experience with enhanced functionality through functional cookies.
Identity Verification: Builds trust among users by integrating identity checks.
A Diverse User Base: Accommodates a wide range of users including academics, artists, and non-conformists.
Global Accessibility: Software linked together and made available to the public worldwide.
Feature
Value
Specific User Focus
Children, Teenagers
Real World Simulation
Ability to recreate real-world scenarios
Brand Presence
Companies like Gucci, Ferrari have a visible presence
Limitations of Second Life
No support for cryptocurrency transactions.
Lack of targeted advertising models.
Despite a strong emphasis on user moderation, promoting civil behavior can be challenging.
Pricingof Second Life
Second Life operates using its own in-world currency, the Linden Dollar. However, the platform itself is free to access and explore.
Second Life Use Cases
User Case 1: Academics
Academics can utilize Second Life to simulate real-world scenarios for study and research, transcending geographical constraints.
User Case 2: Artists
Artists can create, showcase and even sell their work within Second Life, reaching a global audience instantaneously.
User Case 3: Brands
Brands such as Gucci and Ferrari have established their presence in Second Life, using it as an interactive branding tool to reach and engage their customer base.
Roblox
In the grand echelons of interactive marvels, Roblox elicits notable commendation. Conceived in the mid of the first decade of the 21st century by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel, it is an awe-inspiring platform that elevates game creation and gameplay to the zenith of mastery. Boasting over 100 million active monthly users predominantly accrued organically through the influence of friend referrals and YouTube, it proffers a vast library of over 50 million user-generated games.
Roblox Top Features
Roblox Studio: A proprietary creation engine that transforms users into creators.
Player Safety: Automated algorithms tirelessly work to ensure blocking of sensitive personal information and inappropriate imagery.
Integration with Blender: Enables streamlined modelling and animating endeavours for creators.
Unstructured Play: Fostered by a supportive community, it enables creators to produce enchanting, user-generated games.
Robux: A virtual currency facilitating seamless in-app purchases.
Community Building
The platform encourages social interaction by incorporating friends and chat functionality.
For Parents Section
Transparently shares safety measures for parental perusal.
Robust Learning Elements
Offers intensive resources such as online classes, book publications, and YouTube tutorials.
Roblox Limitations
Moderation: Some users find the moderation inconsistent.
Microtransactions: Critics argue that the usage of the virtual currency, Robux, can be excessive.
Content Concerns : The platform is under scrutiny for adult content and misuse by adult players.
Roblox Pricing
Roblox heralds the flag of freedom, this titan of virtual reality experiences is free to use. However, the journey may be enhanced through the acquisition of Robux, the virtual currency for in-app purchases.
Roblox Use Cases
Use Case 1
For the burgeoning game developer, Roblox presents a fertile ground for creativity with its user-friendly tools, comprehensive resource library, and supportive community.
Use Case 2
Parents in quest of a safe, entertaining, and educational platform for their young gamers will derive relief from the Parent Control Section proffered by the platform.
Use Case 3
Budding freelance developers and small businesses can manoeuvre themselves masterfully in the Roblox realm, rendering enchanting games and reaping financial rewards.
Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine (UE), crafted by Epic Games, is a series of vigorous 3D computer graphics game engines. Making a landmark debut amidst the tech frenzy of 1998, Unreal Engine became the core engine for the epic game Unreal. It swiftly transcended limitations, reaching beyond the realms of PC first-person shooters to endorse multiple game genres and industries such as film and television.
Unreal Engine Top Features
Comprehensive support for a broad array of platforms including desktop, mobile, console, and virtual reality technologies
Real-time constructive solid geometry operations provided by its level editor, UnrealEd
Features from the powerhouse capabilities of acquired companies like Quixel
Unreal Development Kit (UDK), outfitted to create iOS games and apps
A marketplace for users to buy or sell their creative output.
A series of fundamental project templates to kick-start a first-person or third-person experience
Programming Language
C++
First UE4 Game
Daylight
Free for
Schools and Universities
Latest Release
Unreal Engine 5, April 2022
Unreal Engine Limitations
Royalty of 5% after earning USD 1 million
Costly for smaller developers due to the royalty model
High performance requirements for the most advanced features
Unreal Engine Pricing
Unreal Engine adopts a royalty model, charging 5% of revenues surpassing USD 1 million. However, for games published on their own storefront, the Epic Games Store, this royalty is waived.
Unreal Engine Use Cases
Use case 1: Movies and Television
With an expansive range of powerful graphical and rendering capabilities, Unreal Engine has emerged as a popular tool in the film and television industry.
Use case 2: Game Development
From simple mobile games to advanced desktop gaming experiences, Unreal Engine’s cross-platform support and C++ development environment facilitate hassle-free game development.
Use case 3: Education
Unreal Engine is a hot favorite among universities and schools where game development and interactive media are studied. It’s freely available, giving students hands-on experience.
Open 3D Engine
Drawing from the roots of the Amazon Lumberyard, the Open 3D Engine (O3DE) steps into the world of creation tools as a promising alternative to Neos VR. This free and open-source 3D game engine is brought to us by the Open 3D Foundation, a Linux Foundation subsidiary, and boasts a list of renowned partners and premier members.
Open 3D Engine’s Top Features
A physically-based renderer that combines a suite of tools for asset building, physics simulation, and animation creation.
Comfortable compatibility across operating systems including Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.
Modular structure based on Gems that provide libraries with standard interfaces and assets.
Support for Script Canvas and Lua, enabling streamlined creation of runtime logic.
Supports DirectX 12, Vulkan, and Metal graphic APIs.
Physics Simulations
Renderings come to life with NVIDIA PhysX, NVIDIA Cloth, and AMD TressFX.
Open 3D Engine Limitations
While the Open 3D Engine is a powerful tool, it does come with its own set of challenges:
Its open-source nature can make it abstract and harder to master for beginners.
There might be a lack of direct and immediate support due to its extensive community-based development.
Open 3D Engine Pricing
Reflecting its commitment to open accessibility, Open 3D Engine is free for all users.
Open 3D Engine Use Cases
Use case 1: Academic Collaboration
The O3DF collaborates with Rochester Institute of Technology in an initiative called Project Eureka. The aim is to build a library of O3DE assets, identify O3DE feature gaps, build a talent pipeline, and foster O3DE adoption among next-gen developers.
Use case 2: Creating Immersive Games
With its suite of tools for asset building, physics simulation, and animation creation, O3DE is a great choice for creators looking to bring their game ideas to life with rich, immersive environments.
Use case 3: Cross-platform Development
With wide platform compatibility, developers can leverage O3DE’s comprehensive toolset to create and export projects across Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android platforms.
jMonkeyEngine
An open-source haven for Java programming enthusiasts, jMonkeyEngine is a Java-based game engine that principally serves avid developers. Its minimalistic, code-first approach has won the loyalty of many, allowing for flexible creation ranging from Android-capable configurations to robust RPG games like Mythruna.
jMonkeyEngine Top Features
3.6.0-stable release characterized by several new features and bug fixes.
Direct availability of 3.6.0-stable libraries on the pivotal Maven Central repository with groupID “org.jmonkeyengine”.
jMonkeyEngine Initializer, a highly efficient web tool for effortless project creation.
Compatibility across multiple platforms: PC, Linux, iOS, Android, and Mac.
Advanced Terrain libraries for creating inspiring terrains.
GUI Options
Lemur, Nifty GUI, IGUI
Networking Solutions
Spidermonkey, SimEthereal, Monkey Netty
Physics Support
jBullet, Minie
jMonkeyEngine Downsides
A lower-level game development tool demanding a somewhat steep learning curve.
Some users perceive limitations compared to competing game engines.
jMonkeyEngine Pricing
jMonkeyEngine is free and open-source under the permissive BSD 3-Clause license, providing an incredible value proposition for developers.
jMonkeyEngine Use Cases
Use Case 1: Student Education
jMonkeyEngine boasts a dominant presence in game-education programs for both youth and adults. Its user-friendly approach and abundant resources make it an ideal tool for teaching game development.
Use Case 2: Game Development
Its strong capabilities make jMonkeyEngine an effective tool in serious game development projects. The proof lies in numerous commercial games created using it, further supported by an active community of developers.
Use Case 3: Self-Learning
The provision of comprehensive online documentation, YouTube tutorials, and other learning materials makes jMonkeyEngine a great tool for self-learners embarking on a voyage towards game development expertise.
Patrick Daugherty
Content writer @ Aircada. Merging AR expertise with a love for late-night gaming sessions.
